TIRANA, May 23 /ATA/ “Albania is one of positive examples in management of epidemic,” as. Prof. Arjan Durrës said.

The academician, Arjan Durrësi, who is a member of the Mathematics and Informatics Commission at the Academy of Sciences, specialized, among other things, in the reliability of Artificial Intelligence systems at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, USA, has emphasized that, “Albania is one of the most positive examples in terms of the epidemic management. There are few new cases in some red zones and there are many green zones with no cases at all. And the death toll is minimal.

“This result is a combination of several factors. The most important, I would say, is prompt enactment of the lockdown. The studies show that the time of response has been crucial in keeping the epidemic under control, reducing the number of fatalities etc. Even the week or day have made the difference in getting a handle on the epidemic. Another factor was the discipline of the population that understood the danger and scrambled to adhere to the new rules. The tally is also attributed to medical teams for showing dedication and professionalism in treatment of inpatients and tracing the contacts of positive cases, ” Durrësi said.

Asked how to proceed further, Durrës added that, “Albania, with these few cases, is very much likely to defeat the virus and the epidemic. It was a good idea to divide the country into zones. Green zones, without cases, can return to normality, maintaining vigilance. In red zones, with testing, contact tracking, but also by practicing physical distance, wearing masks, following hygiene rules, avoiding gatherings, especially in enclosed areas, cases can be reduced to zero. It is needed diligence in opening of international travel. One of the reasons for the high rates of pandemic spread in the world over are the multiple flights. I wish there is no room for self-complacency, because the virus has not disappeared, and carelessness risks rolling back what has been achieved. Also, the status quo should not be accepted, we really have few cases but have not achieved the target of zero cases, and this is fully viable with little effort, the greatest work has been done.”